Lock for sectional folding table tops



Aug. 4, 1953 R. l.. NORRISQR LOCK FOR SECTIONAL, FOLDING TABLE TOPS Filedsept. 12, 1952 L X7` L tf (y Q 2O Il 26 #"llfw l I' f w* n! i6" I Il I im if Imlmlll l L (lo l/. .11....iiI W 2o 2Q j ,2Q

- )leg )'20 )Qa E )iq j 2 fg iik/2e La/I l n /W Fy i E INVENT OR ATToRNEYs Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT ojFFlcrs.v

4Robert L. Norris, Jr., Sacramento, Calif. Application September 12, 1952, Serial No. 309,291

l 1 Claim. 1A

T his invention relates to a lock for a collapsible, wall-mounted, folding table of sectional design.

Among the important objects of the invention are the following:

To provide a lock of the type stated which will be safe in operation, simple in construction, and easily manipulated to locking and unlocking positions respectively;

Second, to provide a lock which willbe effectively concealed in both the locking and unlocking positions thereof ;v

Third, to provide a lock so designed as to effectively hold a` pair of hingedly connected leaves of a table against relative movement, when said leaves are in a coplanar, extended position;

f- Fourth, to provide a locking device for tables of the type stated, which will be so designed as to permit a folding or collapsible table to be made without more than a single supporting leg; and

Fifth, to provide a lock of the type stated which can be manufactured separately from a table with which it is to be associated, at relatively low cost, said lock being so designed as to permit it to be installed quickly and easily in a table of the sectional, folding type.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout b the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a table formed with hingedly connected leaves, said leaves being shown in their extended position, part of the leaves being shown in section to illustrate, in top plan, a locking device formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the extended table and of the locking device constituting the present invention;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, in which the table is shown in its folded position; and

Figure 4.- is an enlarged perspective view of the locking device per se.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral I has been applied to the flat,

rectangular, inner leaf of sectional, wall-mounted, collapsible table. The inner leaf I0 is connected, along one edge thereof, to a wall surface W, by hinges I2, said hinges being adapted to permit the inner leaf to swing between a vertical position shown in Figure 3 and a horizontal position shown in Figure 2.

An outer leaf I4 is also of rectangular configuration in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, said outer leaf being connected, along its inner end edge, to the adjacent edge of the inner leaf I Il, by concealed hinges, not shown. It will be understood that when the inner leaf kIll is swung to its vertical, inoperative position shown in Figure 3, the outer leaf I4 is swung upwardly to a vertical position (see Figure 3) When, however, the table is to be used, the outer leaf I4 swings to a position in which it is coplanar with the inner leaf I0.

A single leg It is hingedly connected, by hinges I8, to the underside of the outer leaf I4, and when the leg I6 is swung away from the outer leaf I4, it will support the table ina horizontal, operative position.

The device constituting the present invention has been illustrated per se in Figure 4, and is mountable in slots 2U, 22 of theileaves I0, I4. It may be noted, at this point, that identical but opposite locking devices can be used, and preferably would be used, at opposite sides of the table. Since these devices are like one another in construction, only one shall be described here- 1n.

The slot 20 of the inner leaf IIJ extends along one side edge of the inner leaf, opening at one end upon the end edge of the inner leaf, which end edge is hingedly connected to the adjacent end edge of the outer leaf I4. Slot 20 extends longitudinally of said side edge of the inner leaf IU, and when the leaves I0, I4 are in their coplanar, operative positions, the slot 2IJ is in communication with a slot 22 formed in the corresponding side edge of the outer leaf I4.

Within the slot 2U there is mounted a pivot pin '24, said pivot pin being extended between the top and bottom walls of said slot 2l), and being passed through one end of an elongated, fiat lock bar 26.

The lock bar 26 is thus mounted for swinging movement within the slot 2U, and in one position to which the lock bar 26 is swung, it will extend across the hingedly connected inner edges of the leaves I, I4, into the slot 22.

As a result, the leaves Ill, I4 will be locked in their operative, extended positions.

A finger grip 28 is provided upon the lock bar 26, said finger grip 28 being formed as a member of right angled configuration, one leg of said member overlying the top surface of the lock bar 26, and being pivotally connected to said lock bar by means `of a rivet or pivot pin 30.

The other or free leg of the finger grip 28 is extended transversely of and beyond the edge of the lock bar 26.

In this connection, the adjacent end of the lock bar 2G is rounded off, and thus, the finger grip 28 can be swung about said rounded end of the lock bar, to opposite sides of the lock bar.

It will thus be seen that when the lock bar is in the position thereof shown in Figures 1 and 2, the finger grip 28 will be disposed exteriorly of the slots 20, 22, and can be readily grasped by a user. Thus. one grasping the free legr of the grip 28 can swing the same outwardly, thus to cause the leg 26 to move out of the slots 2U, 22. This permits the leaves I8, I4 to be unlocked, thus to permit said leaves to be swung to their folded positions, shown in Figure 3.

When the lock bar 26 is swung to its inoperative position, the finger grip 28 can -be swung about the axis of the pivot pin 30, ,to .the s012110- site side of the lock bar, and thus will still be ydisposed exteriorly of the slot 28 (see Figure 3) in the inoperative position of the lock bar. This permits the user to swiftly grasp the lock bar once again, when the bar is to be -used in latohng the leaves 1.0, i4 against relative ,swinging move ment.

The (construction which has been illustrated .and described is believed to have 1certain important characteristics, which maybe worthy of note herein. The :arrangement is sueh as to securely lock the leaves t0, V'lll together, to Aforrn ,a rigid table which can be easily supported on `a ,single leg .-LB..

Additionally, zthe locking means is such `as to be .invisible when the table is viewed from above, except, of course, for .the small projections represented by the finger grips 28.

yStill further, -theconstruetion .is tsuch as to permit .the l device to be .readily mounted in a table of the type stated, at ya :minimum of expense and with minimum loss of time. The device could.

in fact, .in .commercial :embodiments of Athe in yention, be ,manufactured separately vfrom .the tables, with a housing `of `its own, which housing would provide the slots 20, 22.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not to be confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently ,devised to carry out said prineiples, -it being vconsidered that "the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A table top comprising a pair of leaves, hinges coupling ladjacent edges of the leaves for enabling said leaves to be folded into superposed relation, said leaves having grooves extending into opposite side edges and opening through the hinged edges of the leaves, a bar pivotally mounted 'ad- Jaeenftone end in each groove in one of the leaves, `vSaid .bars being movable in arcuate paths lie parallel to the leaf in which the bars are ,piv- ,oted from lan inactive ,position in which they lie wholly within the grooves to an active position :in which they extend through the ends of the -grooves and into the grooves 4in the adjacent leaf, and finger holds Apivotally carried by .the bars for movement about the ends thereof remote .from their pivoted ends.

ROBERT li. NORRLS. J R.

References Oted in the file of this patent UNITED .STATES .PATENTS Number 'Name Date 431,580 Haggard iJuly 8, "188.0 440,969 :Smith Nov. 18, 1890 1,839,536 Dennis Jan, :5, 1932 '1,851,600 Stanley Marl 29, '19,32 2,fi06,232` Milkof Aug 20, 1946 2.5921032 Henderson Apr. 8, `i952 

